Window Cleaner

Fingers (no doubt just guesswork) are starting to be pointed at the 2 2009 semi-finals apparently. I remember the ref in the Chelsea -Barca game being a right useless bastard. Drogba got into real hot water over him.

it won't be anything to do with a manager and probably not even players. It will more than likely be an iffy East European or Turkish reffing trio giving a dodgy penalty to influence the result or a blatantly offside goal being allowed.

I've seen Saints at Rotherham, Cup game, Bart was awful and we got mullered; Perhaps they have a new ground since then though.

Down: Fulham Villa QPR Up: Don't care, anyone except dirty Leeds.

because it's not teams that fix matches per se, it's players and refs. Greedy men will do anything for a couple of extra bob whether they need it or not.

Inconsistent reffing is a major problem in the UK; Refs apply the rules as they see them and not to the letter of the law. Put up a stat yesterday in another thread Italy Serie A 78 red cards so far this season, PL 27. Barton was sent off for 2 yellows in Marseille yesterday for tackles that he thought wouldn't even get a foul in the UK. Reffing in the Uk needs a severe upgrade, they need to apply the rules and not what they think the rules to be. There will probably be 10 penalties a game but until the players play to the rules and not to what refs let them get away with it will continue to be chaos and bad injuries will keep on happening.

it was known that Gaston went off with a dead leg on Saturday, said so on Sky. Clyne was obviously injured from early on as well looked to be struggling and he rarely does that.

League 1 ?? Needs to be playing at a higher level than that, he'll get massacred.

It would be good for us if he does, hasn't had a game in a while and is extremely immobile. The other one was no great shakes at the ACON either.

well I'd think they'll replace him with a Defoe like player if they replace him at all.

Fulham will be one of the key teams to the relegation league, I think they have to play virtually the entire bottom group apart from us. So for Fulham to escape being drawn into the bottom battle they have to beat other teams in the mini-league. If other teams want to get out of it they'll have to beat Fulham. I can see us above Fulham by mid-March.

strange I heard he had a slight calf strain or something.

Ramirez has certainly shown flashes but I think he's having difficult coming to terms with the physicality of the English game. Went off with a dead leg again yesterday, think he picked that up fairy early on. Don't know if it's the same leg that kept him out for a few games a while back but he certainly seems to pick up dead-legs easily.

He's 22 and that's getting on a bit for a footballer these days. My point is that when you consider the vast sums that have gone from the PL to Italy for players who have just not made the grade here and have been pensioned off back to Italy at a loss it's no real surprise that Ramirez hasn't been an instant hit as of yet. The point is that there is a vast difference in style between Italian and English football and many a player is not capable of making the step up straight away. You cite Suarez but he came from Dutch football and not from Italy. If you count up the cards numbers in Italian football there have been 77 red cards so far this season and nigh on 1000 yellows. Refs do not tolerate certain types of tackle or jostling for the ball, the card comes straight out of the pocket for this type of intevention and players like Ramirez are over-protected. When they come into English 'proper' football they're just like fish out of water for a fair time.

depends what happens in the week's international games, I presume nearly all of Citeh's players are involved somewhere or other and we have a fair number ourselves. Would hope to see Forren re-established by next Saturday especially with Maya off to Japan (totally unnecessarily) this week.

no international football, it's a big drawback for our players actually when national team selection is in the balance. If you're a native of a major footballing nation and don't have an Icelandic granny or something you probably won't get a first selection if you're not playing for a top 6 side with European experience. It's what drives players to leave smaller clubs where they're perfectly happy and integrated to sign for "top clubs" where they'"re often surplus to requirements for a while.

what you really have to ask yourselves is how many players have come from Italian football and really been consistent in the EPL ? Don't know the exact answer myself but I believe the figure will be staggeringly low and ridicoulous when a £s/success from Italy ratio is established. Gaston looked the real deal and still has at home from time to time but I expect that the number of games and the intensity of the matches is just grinding him down. Every time Morgan speaks to the French press he keeps telling them just how different English football is in pace and intensity so I guess it must be true.

38 points is what we need, so 14 more from 13. The situation will become clearer at the end of Feb after Reading-Wigan.

we have the attributes to beat any side in the PL but we desperately need to hoick Hooieveld out of the defence. He makes us fragile.

Seen more mobile coal bunkers than Samba actually. Norwich offered nothing and yet they could have won. Game's up for QPR I think.

We played really well but I always shudder when the opposition get corners, wish Fonte was fit again or even Forren. Jos gives me the creeps when we're being pushed back. Still I am not downcast, I'm OK with the point and I enjoyed the game.

75% possession more like.

you can be a big star in Italy and do nothing in the PL. It's different football and very few actually make the transition before their clubs give up and cut their losses. Dead leg again, wondering if he doesn't have a major problem there, same old injury flaring up time after time.

How did we not win that !!

can't be right 38 isn't a multiple of 3